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A n. Al COWIELLi Car Coupling.

N0. 82,807. Patented Oct. 6, 1868.

R. A, GOWELL, Old-CLEVELAND, OHIO.

' Letters Patent No. 82,807, dated October 6, 1868.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-GAR CUUPLING.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY GONGERN:

, centre, taking thc direction o Be n known that I, u. A. oowm, of cleveland, in the county of cuyahogmnd sate of ohio, have invented a new and useful device for coupling or shackling together railroad-cars, which device is known as Cowells Union Car-Coupler g and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coupler,

Figure 2 a vertical and longitudinal section, and

Figure 3 isa front view olthe concave face of a draw-head adapted to this invention.

on which my coupler operates is self-acting or automatic, its parts being so constructed and ogether or uncoupled, withoutrthe necessity of The principle arranged that, by its use, railway-cars may be coupled securely t a person placing himself between the cars for that purpose, thus greatly reducing the risks of life and limb to whichrailway-employees are-ordinarily subjected, and securing dispatch and economy in the composition and management of railway-trains.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and. practise my invention, I now proceed to fully state its construction and operation.

A is a draw-head or bumper.

B is an ordinary link used in coupling cars. i

C is a'bolt or pin, working into said link, and thereby securing the coupling in' the manner hereafter to be explained.

D is a chamber in the draw shown by the dotted line y, and furnished with a shoulder, against w firmly rest when required.

E is a smaller chambre uncoupling, or is held in position when coupling.

Tberevare two pivots, one on c ach side of the bolt C, us s grooves in the walls ofthe chamber E, as shown at I1. A

fis a spring, which holds the connecting-pin or boltl C in place.

assing vertically through tbe chamber D and through the connectiug-lirik B, preventing the -head, so constructed as to receive on its iloor a reserve connecting-link, as hich the end of the connecting-link may r in the draw-head, in which the connecting-pin or bolt C is lifted bythe act .of

hown at a, working inv corresponding vertical l is a rod, p misplaeement or loss ofthe link.

i is a rod attached at its lower end to the pin or bolt C, and working nearly vertically through an orice in the top et the' draw-headl l k is a vertical pin-hole through the front part ofthe draw-head, provided for instant use in connection with an ordinary connecting-pin, in the old and common mode, in case of emergency.

From the description ahov'c given it will be readily seen that the bolt or connecting-pin has both a swinging or oscillating and avertical motion, the former, when, yielding to the percussive force of a link entering the mouth of the draw-head irl-the act of coupling, the lower part ofthe bolt moves around the pointez as a fthe dotted line 'n o, and so soonr as the'end ofthe entering link has passed beyond the end ot' the holt, the force of the springfis exerted to place the bolt within the link and restore the lower end of the' bolt to itstformcrposition against thejaw ofthe draw-head at n, thus firmly coupling the draw-head A, for euample, with that which presents the entering link.

The holt C has its vertical motion when the lifting-force is applied to the rodt in the act of uncoupliiig. In lthis case the iateral pivots, as shown at a, in connection with the cor-responding vertical grooves, as shown at b, serve said bolt is raised above the link, the latter may be withdrawn from the draw-head, and the uncoupling is elected, whereupon the springf is again effectual to return the bolt C to its former position.

It will be observed that whenever, by the process just described,.a particular draw-head is coupled to as guides to give to the bolt C its vertical direction ;'and it is manifest that when the lower point ofV another, the link belonging to the one lies on the oor ofthe chamber D, as shown by the dotted lines g, wWhile the connection is formed by the link belonging to and presented by the other. v

The bolt C may be constructed with tlie arm z, which acts as a lever, and aids the spring f to perform its function in, the act of coupling, as described. I l

The mouth ofthe draw-head may be large enough to admit the hand for placing the link in position, or there may be an opening for this purpose in the bottom ofthe draw-head.

The lifting-force may be applied to the rod k, in uncoupling, by means of a cord or chain and pulley attached to the platform or top of the car, or by a. lever operated at the side 'of the car, or by any' other equivalent device.

The rod Z should be located at a distance from thejaw of the draw-head less than half the length of the accompanying link, so that when the latter is drawn from its chamber into position for coupling, theV superior weight ofthe front part ofthe link, operating on the jaw of the draw-head as a-fulcrum, shall always lift the rear end of the link before and against the shoulder at ni. u

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

4 1. The connecting-bolt or pin C, constructed with the pivots a and arms x, and operating in combination with the springf and slot -b, substantially as and for the purposes described.

Y 2. In a railway-car draw-head, arranging the chamber D with the superior recess ov apartment E, in combination with aconneetingboltlor pin, as C, having a rotary and vertical action, all constructed and operated substantially as herein described.

` R. A. CQWELL. Witnesses:

JOHN CooN, J. M. HENDERsoN. 

